Gerrymandering – manipulating boundary lines of political districts to give an unfair advantage to one political party or to dilute the political strength of voters of a particular race, color, or national origin

1. The practice of dividing a geographical area into electoral districts, often of highly irregular shape, to give one political party an unfair advantage by diluting the opposition’s voting strength. * When Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry ran for reelection in 1812, members of his political party, the anti-Federalists, altered the state’s voting districts to benefit the party. One newly created district resembled a salamander, inspiring a critic to coin the word gerrymander by combining the governor’s name, Gerry, with the ending of salamander. Gerry was not reelected governor, but was elected as James Madison’s vice president. — aka political gerrymandering.

2. The practice of dividing any geographical or jurisdictional area into political units (such as school districts) to give some group a special advantage. — aka partisan gerrymandering; jurisdictional gerrymandering. Cf. REAPPORTIONMENT. — gerrymander, vb. [1]

A word derived from the name of Hon. Elbridge Gerry, a former governor of Massachusetts. So contriving in fixing the boundary lines of legislative districts as to give an unfair advantage to one political party. Anno: 2 ALR 1337; 25 Am J2d Elect § 18.

An unfair method adopted by a political party in control of the legislature, whereby the boundaries of election districts are altered and arranged as to prevent a majority vote in such districts in favor of the opposing political party, which, under a fair and normal apportionment, would represent a majority vote in those districts. State ex rel. Morris v Wrightson, 56 NJL 126, 28 A 56.

Fixing school attendance zones in such manner as to segregate the races in the schools. 15 Am J2d Civ R § 39. [2]

1. Manipulating the boundary lines of a political district (EXAMPLE: a congressional district) to give an unfair advantage to one political party or to dilute the political strength of voters of a particular race, color, or national origin. See apportionment of representatives. [3]

cracking – n. A gerrymandering technique in which a geographically concentrated political or racial group that is large enough to constitute a district’s dominant force is broken up by district lines and dispersed throughout two or more districts. — aka fracturing. [1]

packing – n. A gerrymandering technique in which a dominant political or racial group minimizes minority representation by concentrating the minority into as few districts as possible.

stacking – A gerrymandering technique in which a large political or racial group is combined in the same district with a larger opposition group.

institutional gerrymandering – (1973) Gerrymandering by means of varying the number of representatives per district.

racial gerrymandering – (1961) Gerrymandering along racial lines, or with excessive regard for the racial composition of the electorate. [1]

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